Maddening sound for seemingly no reason! Help, we're going insane!!

[zephyr]

Hi all,

 

I'm not entirely sure this should go here, but as Hattie will be one year in October I thought this is where I'd start.

 

We brought her home in January. She was just weaned, quiet, gentle, cuddly, wildly intelligent, didn't destroy things that weren't given to her...everything you could love about a bird. We thought her the perfect pet.

 

Recently, however, we moved to an older house. The door to the room in which we put her cage used to squeak when opened, and she (we assume) took the sound as the harbinger of love and attention. So, being the terribly intelligent animal she is, she began to make the noise whenever she wanted attention. Immediately we hated it and have never responded to it or paid attention to her during or shortly after she makes the sound.

 

The problem is that it's been about a month or so since she began to make it, and things have only gotten worse despite our efforts to get her to stop. She has tweaked the sound, making it far more high-pitched, loud, and rapid than before. She'll do it when she's alone, when we're in the room...occasionally even when we're already paying attention to her. She seems to think we love it, despite NEVER responding to it. The biggest issue is that for a couple weeks she has started to make it in the early morning hours - once or twice as early as 5.30 - keeping both of us awake and unable to go back to sleep. We have never consistently gotten up at that time, both of us happening to have jobs that allow us to sleep in relatively late, so we are baffled as to why this continues.

 

She has plenty of toys that she loves, is constantly supplied with fresh food and water, and we absolutely shower her with attention. We love her immensely, but this is out of hand. She's otherwise a lovely pet and seems to genuinely like just sitting quietly with us most of the time, taking enjoyment from the company itself.

 

Have any of you had a similar problem? Can anything be done? Is it possibly a baby thing?

 

A preemptive thanks for your help!

- Girard, Lauren, and Hattie the Squeaky Door

[Jayd]

Welcome to the Grey world, over the next 5 years your to experience many new sounds and changes from your baby...Thanks Jayd

[brianlinkles]

I think Jayd said it best. This seems to be quite common for greys! Our Dorothy (will be one this month) has learned our very annoying phone ring. She knows that we go to it everytime it rings. She has then decided this is a great way to call us over. Same for the whistle I do for my dogs to go outside or to call them in from the backyard, she whistles for me. She seems to be in LOVE with whistling, she wolf whistles, the andy griffith song (she has her own spin to this) etc. I truly hope that some day we will have a grey that talks instead of just whistles however I love to hear her vocalize in all ways. I do look forward to her first words (keeping my fingers crossed) She has been saying hello but that's about it. I think that you are going to have to try and give her some other noises to copy. I know that when Dorothy started with the wolf whistle, andy griffith song and the dog's whistle she has stopped doing the phone as often. I know it can be annoying however I think this is something that we all have to embrace about our greys!

[Wulfgeist]

I sort of have a similar problem. My GCC always reacts to a cabinet door in the kitchen that squeaks. Since my grey came home, he's picked that up from my conure and true to grey form does it shrilly and alot more loudly. They are awesome!

[zephyr]

Brianlinkles -

 

She already talks, and has been since just a few months old. It seems like every day there's a new phrase. Today she busted out, "Hi Hattie! Can I have a kiss?" I hadn't heard any of the second bit before this afternoon...she's so smart! She makes a TON of sounds, says so many words, etc.

 

I suppose the main thing that concerns us is the fact that even though we have never - NEVER - responded to the sound, she continues to think that it'll make us pay attention to her. Considering just how intelligent she seems to be, this is very confusing.

[birdhouse]

Jay! Tell them that after they fix this particular craziness. Gives them something to look forward too. lol

 

Zypher, I'll bet a nickel this is one problem being compounded by another. You guys may not respond to Hattie, but you do react. Wince, set your jaw, grind your teeth, sigh. Greys have scary body language awareness & supersonic hearing. Hattie knows she is getting your attention. She also knows she's pushing your buttons & that's fun.

 

I'm guessing the other part of the problem, is that Hattie may be getting up w/the birds because she's made friends w/some of them.

 

We're not early risers around here, either. But during the warm weather, my otherwise quiet tiels would start this loud, high pitched calling any time from sunrise on. Turned out my neighbors were having the same problem w/theirs.

 

I finally figured out they were all talking to the Cardinals & each other. Even when I couldn't hear everyone they were definitely answering each other.

 

Hattie's an outstanding talker. I'm thinking the fledgling flock creature followed her natural impulse to communicate w/others in & around the house. It was just a fortunate accident that imitating the squeaky hinge taught her another greyt way to go about it.

 

If I'm right, you're looking for a way to block out the wild bird calls. It will take a while for Hattie to realize she's back to being isolated. But then she should ease up on the calling. As long as you guys actually learn to honestly ignore this particular call, Hattie will probably move on & find some other fun sounds to experiment with.

[JeffNOK]

This might sound like a pat simplistic aswer, but I suggest you just get used to it and deal with it with love. Get ear plugs if you need to for sleeping. I have used ear plugs when I have had to share a hotel room with loudly snoring roommates with great success. They really do work. Your baby is just doing what comes naturally. My CAG will be one year old this week, and when she wants my attention she just repeats "Step Up! Step Up!". If that doesn't get the desired effect she barks like my parents' dog or wolf whistles over and over. It can be wearing, but that is who she is. You can't change her. Just love her and find a way to have peace in the home. She is not being bad. She is being a grey. And in my mind that is pretty fantastic. Clearly she is very intelligent and will likely be a good talker. As her vocabulary improves she will find other ways of getting your attention that may be less worrying for you. Your baby is trying to interact with you and her world the best she can. She may not always do these irritating things, but she very well may. At the end of the day, you will find your way as you adjust to her. Just remember that her calls are there because she is bonded to you. She loves you! Don't react to irritating behavior, but try to remember why you invited a grey into your home. This is the nature of the beast. Just try embracing it with humor and get those ear plugs, so you get enough rest not to be sleep deprived,

Edited July 18, 2012 by JeffNOK

[Sarasota]

Have any of you had a similar problem? Can anything be done?

Oh yes! Both my greys imitate the sound of the smoke alarm going off (and, yes, it only happened one time). My CAG is loud, and my TAG can be pretty ear shattering. They now use the sound when something comes into their environment that startles them. I'm guessing they are using it as an alarm call.

 

What you can do: Don't reinforce the behavior. No yelling, no shrieking, no pleading with them to quiet down...and certainly no treats to bribe them to be quiet, OR, you can just get used to it. I've never reinforced the smoke alarm call, but they continue to use it. It's reinforcing to them and I just have to deal with it.

[CLB]

I was rereading the original post and it seems that Hattie already got the reinforcement she needed when the squeaky door originally preempted your arrival. Now you may need a new calling card and some earplugs. I have a very sneaky suspicion that our Greys are less concerned about the sounds that make us happy as they are about repeating the sounds that make them happy. I know Shadow has yet to repeat a single word that I have TRIED to teach her and yet she seems to find lots of things to say that she has "picked up" from living in our home.

 

I am sure this is a frustrating time, hang in there. It seems that life with a grey is always an exciting and often unpredictable ride.